On the Way Down the Mountain
Descending the mountain path, Jo Jaheon couldn't suppress his hollow laughter for quite some time.
'To think it was at that level.'
Of course, it wasn't a fight where everything was laid bare. But a martial artist's intuition told him as much. Even so, she was no easy opponent.
Her skill at such a young age was impressive enough, but what truly set his heart racing was something more.
'How could someone at the peak just a year ago have reached this point!'
Her future was unfathomable—a warrior carving her own path. How could his heart not thrill with excitement and anticipation at the thought of walking alongside such a one?
"Now I find myself wanting to trust in your conviction, young friend."
"You can afford to."
"Yet your martial arts... they are truly peculiar. Calling them mere external arts feels inadequate..."
"Think of them as martial arts from an entirely different trajectory."
It wouldn't do to pry further on a first meeting. Time would reveal all.
"I see. Then I'll ask another time."
"That's precisely what I was going to say."
Now it was time for Gong Ya-seong and the Five Great Families to explain their involvement with demonic arts. Mu Yun led with his most pressing question.
"Why would the Five Great Families research demonic arts? They're hardly lacking in their own martial traditions."
Excluding the Seomun family, the Namgung, Paeng, Dang, and Jeon-gal clans had lineages stretching back a millennium before his time. Their arts had been formidable then, and after a thousand years, they were beyond question.
He prided Sin-gi Sim-ui Gong as the pinnacle, but from his past experiences, their techniques reached similar heights of perfection when mastered. The difference lay in the practitioner's talent—it could upend everything.
"It started as a way to counter demonic arts, no doubt. But as those arts evolved, they found aspects worth coveting."
Mu Yun let out a wry chuckle.
"Plenty greedy enough to stick to their own—why chase more!"
"That's exactly why they delve into demonic arts."
Mu Yun tilted his head.
"Comparison and analysis make sense, but to that extent?"
"What they crave most is a drug that taps into the upper dantian. They aim to integrate it into their own arts."
Mu Yun's eyes widened.
'A drug for the upper dantian?'
He knew more martial arts than most, and the effects of drugs like aphrodisiacs intimately. But artificially stimulating the upper dantian had been impossible back then—and now. Especially with drugs.
He cut straight to it.
"Is that even possible?"
"Ask like that, and the answer's no."
"Then?"
"To explain, we'd need the full rundown on demonic arts first."
"Go ahead."
"All of it?"
"Sum it up simply."
Gong Ya-seong sighed softly after a moment's thought.
"Best to start here. Even in the mountains, my father tried endlessly to concoct one more cure. He saw it as atonement. I helped at first but opposed it later."
"Why?"
"Most demonic arts ultimately tamper with the brain. As you know, modern medicine treats the brain—the mental realm—as uncharted territory. Only drugs with very narrow effects are feasible."
"And?"
"Using them solely for cures? Fine. But would martial artists stop there? Would the arts vanish once cured?"
The obvious answer slipped from Mu Yun's lips.
"With side effects gone, they'd push into even riskier territory. Drugs tailor-made for that exact purpose."
"Exactly. What's the point of making them when they're bound to be abused? It's like an unstoppable cartwheel. Cure-alls just pave the way for nastier demonic arts."
Mu Yun nodded instinctively. He'd faced similar dilemmas countless times using aphrodisiacs as antidotes.
"Yet some succeed despite the odds, so they persist."
Gong Ya-seong shifted topics.
"The Five Great Families know this well. But they can't let go of mental image training."
Mu Yun pondered briefly before asking.
"Hallucinations temporarily shatter fixed mindsets, potentially breaking thought barriers. Is that what they seek?"
"Yes. But it's the same trap. A taste of success breeds greed, leading to overuse. Most such drugs are addictive."
"Can't they regulate it? Force it externally, say."
"That's what the Five Families, righteous sects, unorthodox ones—even Cheonma-gyo—are obsessed with lately. Mostly failures, though."
"Why?"
"'Regulate' or 'in moderation' doesn't apply. The upper dantian is the realm of consciousness—unique to each person. How do you calibrate a drug for that?"
"True."
"But with enough test subjects, you can establish rough baselines. That's why Cheonma-gyo occasionally succeeds—they have hordes training the same arts. Righteous and unorthodox sects lack the samples, so inevitable failure."
Mu Yun's eyes flashed.
'Samples!'
Such greed would spare no depravity. A deep sigh escaped him unbidden.
'The deeper you dig, the more it's a den of demons.'
A sudden curiosity struck Mu Yun. Best to ask from their perspective.
"If you were in their shoes, what would you do? Coldly pragmatic."
The answer came swift.
"Obvious. First, craft low-addiction drugs and slip them to test subjects covertly. Good results? Great. Bad? Enslave the addict."
"Second?"
"For places you want gone quietly, use drugs or demonic manuals to frame them as demon cultists. Easy for them."
That sparked another question.
"Who led the Five Families' efforts?"
"All agreed, but from what I know, Namgung and Paeng were lukewarm—maybe even backed out later. Jeon-gal, Dang, and Seomun drove it."
"Seomun at the fore, using Gong Ya's Residence as cover."
"Weakest among them, so they had to."
"Still at it now?"
"The physicians vanished right after the incident. Seemed halted then, but I know nothing current."
"Your take?"
"Obvious question."
"...!"
Mu Yun tossed out one final reckless query. Curiosity demanded it.
"When might a true cure emerge?"
A wry smile tugged at Gong Ya-seong's lips.
"When? Probably never, even in a millennium."
"That dire?"
"The human mental realm is a microcosm unto itself. Unravel it in a thousand years? Absurd. Think of dipping your hand in the ocean and guessing its depths from that."
"...!"
A few days later, at Cheong-ho Bang.
Yeon Sa-gu pouted.
"Why'd you call me?"
"Your bullshit caused a snag."
"Huh? What bullshit?"
"Chim-do Bang's deputy is Jo Jaheon, right?"
"Could be. So what?"
"If he's a real demon cultist, we could swallow Chim-do Bang whole."
"And?"
"What do you mean 'and'? Got caught tailing him yesterday."
Yeon Sa-gu's eyes bulged. He could guess the rest.
"If it's Jo Jaheon, you wouldn't be here."
"Some sound assassin called Jong Ja-gwi."
Yeon Sa-gu swallowed hard.
"That bastard? Two hundred nyang on his head. What happened?"
"Not for blabbing. Burned the corpse."
This was worth real anger.
"Hey, you idiot! Two hundred nyang down the drain!"
Mu Yun recited their pre-arranged script.
"Didn't know then. Chim-do Bang lord filled me in."
"What? You met the Bang lord?"
"Snuck in, had a talk."
"How?"
"Made him kneel. In exchange, we'll protect him and his turf for now."
Yeon Sa-gu, puzzled at first, nodded. Only one reason not to wipe them out.
"Jeok-un Mun?"
"Other matters need discretion. That's one thing I need to discuss with you."
"With me?"
Mu Yun handed over what Jo Jaheon had given him.
"Wrap this first. Jong Ja-gwi and the lewd manual. Pin it on Ha-o Mun. Told Gal Bang-ju the same."
"Ugh! No head means half bounty at best."
"Hazard pay."
Yeon Sa-gu pocketed it swiftly.
"Fine, I'll handle it. So what's the job?"
"Eun-gwang matter."
Yeon Sa-gu blinked.
Hard to play informed here.
"What's that?"
"You investigated me—don't know? With that intel, pretend it never happened."
"Nah, who said I don't? Just wary of more crap."
"Wanna team up on it?"
"...?"
Moments later, Yeon Sa-gu's mouth twisted wide. He'd stared Mu Yun down silently for a beat.
"Ha! You sly fuck, messing with my head. So you're handing Ha-o Mun one-hal stake in Eun-gwang?"
"Can't sell for ten years. Priority buyback after goes to me."
"Still giving it to us."
"Said it plenty."
Yeon Sa-gu knew Yeo-gwak Merchant Group's silver mine too well. That's why it baffled him.
"I poked around, sure. But that's a fifty-year vein at least—one-hal stake's a hundred nyang monthly. Five hundred seok of rice! Every month!"
"Spot on. That intel suffices."
"Hey! Our monthly take without big scores is fifty nyang gross—net barely one-hal. You're giving free hundred nyang monthly?"
"Steady, for fifty years."
Yeon Sa-gu scowled.
'What's this guy's angle?'
He never gave freebies. Nor empty words. No biting without thought.
Straight to it.
"Not for spreading a rumor. Stray dogs would laugh. Spill it—what's the scheme?"
Mu Yun had weighed Yeon Sa-gu long before, solidified post-meeting. Time to reveal himself. Worst case, call in Murim Alliance's Demon Extermination Squad. No full safety, but future collaborations demanded trust—or harder trials ahead.
He met the gaze with sincere eyes.
"Straight talk?"
"Yeah. Straight."
"Alright. One question first."
"What?"
"Think I've cultivated demonic arts?"
A chill raced down Yeon Sa-gu's spine, striking his mind.
An unexpected retort burst out.
"You! No way?"
"Your instincts ain't off."
"...!"
"Gonna report me?"
Yeon Sa-gu's dazed gaze wandered blankly for a while.
My Friend Called Cheonma